What is the demand factor?
In the electrical industry, the demand factor is the ratio used to calculate the quantity of the total demand of the system, which is generated by different parts. The calculation divides the maximum demand of the system by means of a load of the part that is examined. The ratio must have a numerical value of less than 1, although the demand factor is usually expressed as a percentage. It provides engineers a tool to take educated design decisions and those who are in charge of managing energy grids, the ability to determine which parts of the grid system may need to be alleviated. The size of each part of the system is multiplied by the load factor to detect electrical capacity.
In the circuit grid, the demand factor may be less than the sum of all connected parts of the system. Theoretically, each part of the system should have a good capacity that is equal to the load factor, but in practice it may not always be. When the maximum threshold is achieved, it is possible that the amount of electricity causes failure or shutdown.
Energy engineers and energy administrators can use the demand factor to redirect electrical load in the power grid system. For example, if there is a sudden increase in demand, managers can direct part of the load to parts of the system that are not close. This helps prevent failure along the grid parts and causes the system to work more efficiently. Estimated energy demand can be used in conjunction with known load factors to plan how electricity will be routed throughout the system.
In some cases, the parts of the electrical network may be activated depending on how much electrical demand in the system. The sections can also be used primarily for a particular area usually requires less or more energy. If the network is designed, the maximum demand factor may be created in anticipation of the average load. The load factor of each section is less than 1 because the sum of all parts equals 100 percent of the capacity of the wholesystem.
capacity is what should be able to handle if all sections manipulate the maximum load simultaneously. Although it rarely happens, it is a good measure for electric companies in deciding whether to upgrade the device or extension of networks. The maximum load factors are usually calculated after a specified amount of time, for example 20 minutes.